不翼而飛
Chinese
not; no | wing | and; as well as; but (not) and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast) | to fly | ||
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trad. (不翼而飛) | 不 | 翼 | 而 | 飛 | |
simp. (不翼而飞) | 不 | 翼 | 而 | 飞 | |
Literally: “to be wingless and yet flying or airborne”. |
Etymology
Chapter 26 of Guanzi:
- 無翼而飛者,聲也;無根而固者,情也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Guanzi, 5th century BCE to 220 CE
- Wú yì ér fēi zhě, shēng yě; wú gēn ér gù zhě, qíng yě. [Pinyin]
- Sound flies without wings; feelings are firm without roots.
无翼而飞者,声也;无根而固者,情也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Idiom
不翼而飛
- (of news) to spread quickly; to spread like wildfire; to spread fast as if on wings
- (of an object) to disappear suddenly; to disappear without a trace; to vanish into thin air